30 Seconds to Mars Revolutionize Modern Rock
In 2000, Bill Viola collaborated with the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, and its lead singer Trent Reznor to create a video suite for the band’s tour (vid above).
Bill Viola: “It’s an image of ascension, of transformation… and the way out is not down, the way out is up.”
(full text)
By: Ellen Kizik, Dawgnet Features Editor
July 9th, Indianapolis welcomed 30 Seconds to Mars, whose first Murat Egyptian Room appearance was in February of 2003. 30STM is patiently awaiting the release of their sophomore project titled “A Beautiful Lie,” which hits record stores on August 16th.
In preparation, the guys have been touring endlessly since May. After numerous headlining shows and a two week break, 30STM join Chevelle and Taproot for the remainder of July and August. In the words of Matt Wachter “this tour is a little more slim and trim; fast and furious.”
Many may recognize the band by their lead singer/guitarist, Jared Leto who happens to be a famed actor, but it’s important to recognize that he’s only one fourth of this group of modern musicians. 30STM was created by the Leto brothers, Shannon and Jared, and evolved into a quintet in 1999. Shortly after, it grew into a real rock band with a record deal from Virgin and an ‘Entourage’ of music fans. Joining them on the second album and on tour are Tomo Milicevic on guitar and Matt Wachter on bass.
Milicevic is the newest addition to 30STM. Before auditioning and replacing the band’s original guitarist, Milicevic had reached rock bottom.
“I was going to quit music altogether. I even took pictures of all of my instruments and set up an Ebay account to auction them off. The next day, I found out about the opportunity to audition for 30STM.”
Milicevic was just another fan of the band before landing the part. “I actually bought their CD the day it came out,” Milicevic said. The rest is history, and luckily his instruments were saved.
As for career goals, these guys didn’t grow up wanting to become professional rock stars. Jared Leto aspired to be an artist or drug dealer and Milicevic was bred to be a concert violinist. However, Wachter knew he was going to be a musician from the early age of 5. In my opinion, it’s definitely a good thing these guys found their way to music because the prog-rock scene would be rather dull without them.
Creating music for them isn’t a choice. They have accepted a life of suffering and pain because they are passionate about what they do and it is expressed in the lyrics Leto writes, the music that all four of them create, and their energetic performances.
“Music is intangible,” explained Leto. “Songs have the ability to be immortal.”
“Music is a form of reincarnation,” added Milicevic.
Aside from music, Leto and Wachter describe themselves as huge “art fags” in general, mentioning visual artist Bill Viola as big influence.
According to Leto, “30STM strives to achieve the grandiosity of Pink Floyd while staying true to their modern rock roots.” Well, it is no the surprise that their first memorable concert experiences were all of legendary bands. Jared and Shannon Leto saw Led Zeppelin, Wachter attended an old school Black Sabbath show, and Milicevic witnessed Nirvana at its best.
30STM has many musical influences, but Jared Leto’s personal influence is Damien Hurst.
“He takes chances like nobody’s business.” And taking chances has certainly paid off for Leto in both of his careers.
On the their first self-titled release, 30STM worked with Bob Ezrin, who produced albums for Pink Floyd, Kiss, and Alice Cooper. The second time around, 30STM created an entirely different kind of musical masterpiece with the help of Josh Abraham, Virgin Records Vice President and producer of Velvet Revolver’s record. The journey these guys traveled was long, literally, but worthwhile. The writing process alone took over two years, spanned five different countries on four different continents, all culminating with nine-months of recording in LA, NYC, and South Africa.
“The new album is a gamete of emotion, professionally and personally,” Wachter said.
Out of the 40 songs Jared Leto wrote, only 10 made the cut. These 10 songs compliment each other very well. As for the other 30, they have been scrapped because as Leto explained “if it wasn’t good enough for the record, then it isn’t good enough for us.”
While in South Africa, Leto realized how lucky 30STM is to be doing what they love. They shared a story with me about a South African man who was so mesmerized when he heard Leto playing an acoustic guitar.
“He was fascinated that such a sound was coming from it. So many people haven’t even seen a show or a tour bus.” It was during his time in Africa that the album title “A Beautiful Lie” was born. When asked what Leto considers a beautiful lie, he said existence.
The second time around, Milicevic and Wachter accompanied the Leto brothers into the studio, as opposed to before where Jared Leto recorded everything except drums. Leto created the songs, but the process was completed together.
“The guys elevated the songs, encouraging me to follow through. We inspired each other,” Leto explained. The writing process that Leto underwent varied. Sometimes the lyrics came first, other times a melody. Some songs actually evolved into others.
“A Beautiful Lie” delivers a complete package that captivates the listener. It tells stories of life and the changes and hardships one encounters along the way. The first track and single “Attack” delivers a punch before you even know what hit you. There is a predominant reference to lies throughout the entire album. The lyrics are personal and the music is addictive.
At first, I was a little skeptical about how unique the final project would be because Josh Abraham, who achieved Grammy success from fashioning Velvet Revolver out of ex-Stone Temple Pilots and ex- Guns ‘n Roses members, produced this album. But after a few listens, all of my doubts were washed away and the originality of 30STM shined through. For more information about 30 Seconds to Mars, visit www.30secondstomars.com.
July 9th, Indianapolis welcomed 30 Seconds to Mars, whose first Murat Egyptian Room appearance was in February of 2003. 30STM is patiently awaiting the release of their sophomore project titled “A Beautiful Lie,” which hits record stores on August 16th.
In preparation, the guys have been touring endlessly since May. After numerous headlining shows and a two week break, 30STM join Chevelle and Taproot for the remainder of July and August. In the words of Matt Wachter “this tour is a little more slim and trim; fast and furious.”
Many may recognize the band by their lead singer/guitarist, Jared Leto who happens to be a famed actor, but it’s important to recognize that he’s only one fourth of this group of modern musicians. 30STM was created by the Leto brothers, Shannon and Jared, and evolved into a quintet in 1999. Shortly after, it grew into a real rock band with a record deal from Virgin and an ‘Entourage’ of music fans. Joining them on the second album and on tour are Tomo Milicevic on guitar and Matt Wachter on bass.
Milicevic is the newest addition to 30STM. Before auditioning and replacing the band’s original guitarist, Milicevic had reached rock bottom.
“I was going to quit music altogether. I even took pictures of all of my instruments and set up an Ebay account to auction them off. The next day, I found out about the opportunity to audition for 30STM.”
Milicevic was just another fan of the band before landing the part. “I actually bought their CD the day it came out,” Milicevic said. The rest is history, and luckily his instruments were saved.
As for career goals, these guys didn’t grow up wanting to become professional rock stars. Jared Leto aspired to be an artist or drug dealer and Milicevic was bred to be a concert violinist. However, Wachter knew he was going to be a musician from the early age of 5. In my opinion, it’s definitely a good thing these guys found their way to music because the prog-rock scene would be rather dull without them.
Creating music for them isn’t a choice. They have accepted a life of suffering and pain because they are passionate about what they do and it is expressed in the lyrics Leto writes, the music that all four of them create, and their energetic performances.
“Music is intangible,” explained Leto. “Songs have the ability to be immortal.”
“Music is a form of reincarnation,” added Milicevic.
Aside from music, Leto and Wachter describe themselves as huge “art fags” in general, mentioning visual artist Bill Viola as big influence.
According to Leto, “30STM strives to achieve the grandiosity of Pink Floyd while staying true to their modern rock roots.” Well, it is no the surprise that their first memorable concert experiences were all of legendary bands. Jared and Shannon Leto saw Led Zeppelin, Wachter attended an old school Black Sabbath show, and Milicevic witnessed Nirvana at its best.
30STM has many musical influences, but Jared Leto’s personal influence is Damien Hurst.
“He takes chances like nobody’s business.” And taking chances has certainly paid off for Leto in both of his careers.
On the their first self-titled release, 30STM worked with Bob Ezrin, who produced albums for Pink Floyd, Kiss, and Alice Cooper. The second time around, 30STM created an entirely different kind of musical masterpiece with the help of Josh Abraham, Virgin Records Vice President and producer of Velvet Revolver’s record. The journey these guys traveled was long, literally, but worthwhile. The writing process alone took over two years, spanned five different countries on four different continents, all culminating with nine-months of recording in LA, NYC, and South Africa.
“The new album is a gamete of emotion, professionally and personally,” Wachter said.
Out of the 40 songs Jared Leto wrote, only 10 made the cut. These 10 songs compliment each other very well. As for the other 30, they have been scrapped because as Leto explained “if it wasn’t good enough for the record, then it isn’t good enough for us.”
While in South Africa, Leto realized how lucky 30STM is to be doing what they love. They shared a story with me about a South African man who was so mesmerized when he heard Leto playing an acoustic guitar.
“He was fascinated that such a sound was coming from it. So many people haven’t even seen a show or a tour bus.” It was during his time in Africa that the album title “A Beautiful Lie” was born. When asked what Leto considers a beautiful lie, he said existence.
The second time around, Milicevic and Wachter accompanied the Leto brothers into the studio, as opposed to before where Jared Leto recorded everything except drums. Leto created the songs, but the process was completed together.
“The guys elevated the songs, encouraging me to follow through. We inspired each other,” Leto explained. The writing process that Leto underwent varied. Sometimes the lyrics came first, other times a melody. Some songs actually evolved into others.
“A Beautiful Lie” delivers a complete package that captivates the listener. It tells stories of life and the changes and hardships one encounters along the way. The first track and single “Attack” delivers a punch before you even know what hit you. There is a predominant reference to lies throughout the entire album. The lyrics are personal and the music is addictive.
At first, I was a little skeptical about how unique the final project would be because Josh Abraham, who achieved Grammy success from fashioning Velvet Revolver out of ex-Stone Temple Pilots and ex- Guns ‘n Roses members, produced this album. But after a few listens, all of my doubts were washed away and the originality of 30STM shined through. For more information about 30 Seconds to Mars, visit www.30secondstomars.com.
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